Song of the Day - The Unicorns: 2014

The Unicorns - The Unicorns: 2014 from 2014 (2004)

Tomorrow is 2014!

RIP 2013.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Zayn/Cesaro's 2-outta-3 falls NXT match

Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro - 2 out of 3 falls match - NXT TV (2013)

One of if not the best kept WWE secrets is NXT. Not to be confused with that Tough Enough-type game show, NXT is WWE's replacement for FCW, their old developmental territory. Currently it serves as the place to be for wrestlers looking to hone his or her skills, shed the indie skin, and create a good gimmick.

One of the best new talents in NXT has to be Sami Zayn, a former masked generic luchadore in the indies, who is now trying to make a new name for himself as a Canadian wrestler of Syrian descent. Regardless of his simple gimmick, he already has the ability to put on tremendous matches. Exhibit A: his series of matches with WWE "Superstar" and no stranger to Zayn in the past, Antonio Cesaro. 

The match that stands out the most in the series has to be the 2-out-of-3 falls match the two had with each other earlier this year. It's a entertaining bout that sees two former big time indie wrestlers put on a wrestling masterpiece without needed excessive flips or big spots. That's right, I said it; a masterpiece. Check it out!

Song of the Day - I Have The Wine

Sat. Nite Duets - I Have The Wine from Electric Manland (2013)

A fuzzed-out anthem about getting too fucked up to die.


There's also a little "Oblivion" by Grimes in there too...

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Mr. Monday Night returns to Raw for the first time in 6 years

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho - Raw (2013)

After returning to WWE at Money in the Bank, Rob Van Dam looked to impress the "Universe" by doing more than going through the motions as he did for most of his TNA run. So, for his return match to Raw he stepped his game up tremendously against some nobody from Calgary... err, wait, I mean Winnipeg, Chris Jericho.

While this match looked a bit sloppy to me at first, I had to keep coming back to because I knew I was missing something. After my fourth or so watch I take back the sloppy comment and replace it with yeah, this might just be my favorite match of Raw 2013. Mind you, even with that god awful "Download the WWE APP", "everything we say is trending", "Isn't social media great?" commentary.

Theme Week - 2013 Week!

Theme Week comes a little earlier than usual to usher in the new year. What better theme to do so than some great or noteworthy matches of 2013? The worst matches of 2013?

Enjoy!

Song of the Day - What Child Is This?

The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die - What Child Is This? from Live at the AV Club "Xmas Under Cover" (2013)

The World is... turns the classic Christmas hymn known as "What Child Is This?" into a dark and dreary Christmas Eve nightmare.


Apparently they picked this song because the ICP Christmas song they originally wanted to cover was too hard to learn.

Last.fm

Merry Christmas!

Match of the Day - Mr. T in his referee pj's takes on Kevin Sullivan + Santamania

Kevin Sullivan vs. Mr. T - WCW Starrcade (1994)

Tis the season for a Christmas disaster.

Part way through the match Mr. T gets his zebra shirt stuck on his hands rendering the toughest man in Chicago useless. Then the camera man falls over and T tries to pin him or something before Santa Claus comes out and stands around for too long. Eventually someone in the crowd takes Santa's hat off and reveals that he is Kevin Sullivan's wannabe Hulk Hogan brother, Dave. Dave then stuffs his Santa sack with Jimmy Hart's megaphone and clubs his brother over the head with it to help our handless hero, Mr. T win the match.

The segment ends with the crazed Kevin Sullivan seeking retribution on his jolly clad brother by beating Dave with his pants down, piledriving him, and smacking him around for a bit with the leather Santa belt. No run-in from the real Santa Claus to help Dave, no run-in from Hulk Hogan, no run-in from Hulk Hogan as Santa with muscles, no nothing. Merry Christmas.

Song of the Day - Snow Angel

By Surprise - Snow Angel from Arbor Christmas: Volume 14 (2013)

By Surprise's annual Christmas song is out now via the Arbor Christmas collection!



Merry Christmas Eve!

Last.fm

Match of the Day - That other unification match that happened that one time

Chris Jericho vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Match to unify the WWF Championship with WCW's World Heavyweight Championship and to crown the new Undisputed Champion - WWF Vengeance (2001)

WWE may be labeling Randy Orton and John Cena's TLC match to unify the WWE title and the World Heavyweight title as the first unification match of its kind, but as someone who watched WWF buy out WCW, the eventually Invasion angle, and the final unification match with both companies top titles, I would have to beg the differ on that. Yes, I am aware that Jericho and Austin were wrestling to unify the WWE and WCW titles, but that same WCW title is being considered the same title still used today (or was, we'll see what happens) as the World Heavyweight title when it was reintroduced in 2002. Saying that this title here is not the same as the one John Cena held before TLC, yet saying that the title that Booker T won in WCW is the same, is completely ridiculous. By the way, if you go back and watch Jericho's entrance from the previous match you can clearly see Jericho is labeled as the "World Heavyweight" Champion; not just the WCW Champion.

Clearly someone just wants to make this Orton/Cena showdown huge by calling it the first of its kind.

The context behind this Austin/Jericho unification match is that there was a mini-tournament of sorts to crown the first undisputed champion by combining the WWE title with WCW's World heavyweight title. The first match was Kurt Angle taking on the WWF champ, Steve Austin, then The Rock (unsuccessfully) defended the World Heavyweight title against Chris Jericho. Jericho, just hot of winning the WHC had to take on Austin in the match above to crown the very first Undisputed Champion. The rest is history.

Song of the Day - Where a River Starts and Ends

Kal Marks - Where a River Starts and Ends from Life is Murder (2013)

Here's a really good last minute find from the year 2013.

If you like weird vocals and bumping indie rock, you are gonna love Kal Marks.



From Beantown.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Chris Hero/Eddie Kingston loser leaves CZW match

Chris Hero vs. Eddie Kingston - Loser Leaves CZW match - CZW Out With the Old, In With the New (2007)

In honor of Chris Hero's return to the Combat Zone tonight, I present the heated blood feud of Hero vs. Eddie Kingston - loser leaves CZW for good. You can tell that these two really didn't like each other, in the ring or out. That being said, this is less like a wrestling match and more like a straight up, back and forth stiff fest; slow brewed to the very final strike. 

PS: The loser did happen to make a one match return to CZW in 2010. 

Song of the Day - Glasgow

Øjne - Glasgow from Undici/Dodici (2013)

Italian Screamo reminiscent of Raein and La quiete.



English subtitles are provided on their bandcamp, but I honestly wouldn't know what they were saying if it was in English. Regardless, "Glasgow" is a great track.

PS: The dialogue in the beginning is from the 1984 film, entitled, Paris, Texas.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - HBK scores a Big Bossman/Mankind ladder match

Big Bossman vs. Mankind - Ladder match for the Hardcore title - Monday Night Raw (1998)

Mankind defends his Hardcore title against the one man 'Shield' for the Corporation, the Big Bossman. During the match, Shawn Michaels, commissioner at the time, provides commentary as well as scores during the match for Mankind's performance a la cue cards. The Rock also happens to makes an appearance in the match.

Theme Results

TLC: Ladder.

Song of the Day - O.P.P.

O.P.P. - Naughty By Nature from Naughty By Nature (1991)

Are you down wit O.P.P.?

Yeah, you know me.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The Chair on a Pole match

Crowbar vs. Meng - Chair on a Pole match - WCW Thunder (2001)

A "Chair on a Pole" match. Featuring the alternate chair at ringside, paisley versus Daffney, and overreacting Stevie Ray.

Enough said.

Theme Results

TLC: Chairs.

Song of the Day - Dancing In My Dick

My Dick - Dancing In My Dick from My Dick's Double Full-Length Release (2012)

The Boss? More like The Dick.



This is a Bruce Springsteen dick cover by the way.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - ECW's barbed wire TLC match

Sabu vs. Sandman - Stairway To Hell match - ECW House Party (1998)

Even ECW had their own variation to a simple ladder match going in the late 90's to early 00's. The match was called a "Stairway To Hell" match and was much more like a pole match than a ladder match as the object was to retrieve a weapon hanging above the ring for use, but the retrieval did not end the match. The weapon of choice, of course, was a big ball of barbed wire.

This is ECW's first Stairway To Hell featuring the cane wielding, beer drinking, cigarette smoking, Sandman versus the homicidal, genocidal, and incredibility suicidal, Sabu.

Theme Results

TLC: All of 'em.

Match of the Day - A TLC match from across the border

Abyss & Chessman vs. Extreme Tiger & Jack Evans - AAA Tag Titles TLC match - AAA Heroes Immortales (2011)

Here's a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match from AAA in Mexico. It's Chessman (not "Cheeseman") and TNA's Abyss taking on the masked high-flyer, Extreme Tiger and the "P-Town" homeboy, Jack Evans. Tiger & Evans are the champs while Abyss & Chessman are the challengers. Enjoy!

Theme Results

TLC: All of 'em.

Song of the Day - Dogfood

Sleeping Bag & Rozwell Kid - Dogfood from Dreamboat (2013)

Indie rock poppers, Sleeping Bag (IN) & Rozwell Kid (WV) have teamed up to show the world that cool collaborations are for not just for the big name pop stars. And by teamed up, I mean they sent each other music via e-mail.



This song itself is about eating dogfood because there's no more chips left.

Last.fm (Sleeping Bag)
Last.fm (Rozwell Kid)

Match of the Day - The first one on one TLC match in WWE

Ric Flair vs. Edge - TLC match for the WWE Championship - Raw (2006)

While maybe overlooked by wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels and The Hardy Boyz when it comes to who's who of ladder matches, Edge is definitely a pioneer of the ladder match in his own right. He was in the very first tag team ladder match, the first ever triangle ladder match, the first three TLC tag team matches, seen here in the first ever singles TLC match, participated and won the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match, and has (as of right now) been in more TLC matches than anyone else. Looking at it that way, Edge should definitely not be overlooked when it comes to ladders and wrestling. His opponent in this first ever TLC match for the WWE title on the other hand, had never been in a TLC match, let alone a ladder match. Edge's opponent was familiar with one thing in this match of firsts however, and that was championship gold... his opponent was the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair after all, a 16 time World Champion. And it was also Flair's home state of North Carolina.

This match between Edge and Ric Flair is a PPV quality match that replaced the death-defying spots that the tag team TLC matches were praised for with pure brutality. I almost forget this match is even a ladder match until at least 10 minutes in. Someone eventually climbs the ladder and retrieves the title, but who?

Fun fact: This is the only TLC match where someone blades... You'll never guess which one did that *Cough* Flair *Cough*.

Theme results

TLC: All of 'em.

Theme Week - TLC Week!

Since it's the month of TLC, WWE's PPV dedicated to Tables, Ladders, and Chairs-related matches, it's only fitting that this week's theme be anything to do with those three things. Anything goes as longs as there's either a ladder, table, chair, combination of those three, or all three weapons used in a match.

TLC the group unrelated.

Match of the Day - The one where Diesel tries to use Mad Dog Vachon's fake leg as a weapon

Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels - No Holds Barred match for the WWF Championship - In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies (1996)

Today, Canadian wrestling legend, Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon passed away at age 84. Maurice, along with being part of the Vachon family, was also a multiple time heavyweight champion in AWA and WWE Hall of Famer. No disrespect to the man what-so-ever, but - despite all these accolades and accomplishments and rivalries with guys like The Crusher or Dick the Bruiser - I will always remember him most for his participation in the Diesel/Michaels match at In Your House 7 in 1996.

The match between Diesel and his former tag team partner, Shawn Michaels is a notable match in of itself as it serves as the last match that Kevin Nash ever played the character of Diesel in WWF before jumping ship to WCW (not counting a couple of years ago where Nash was dressed in the Diesel gear during his Royal Rumble return). The match was also a "No Holds Barred" match for Michaels' WWF championship and the first PPV or televised match Mad Dog Vachon ever got involved in. Well, a part of him got involved at least. See, Mad Dog Vachon was just a spectator in the audience that night until Diesel got out of the ring mid-match and threw the 67 year old man over the guardrail. Diesel then grabbed at Vachon's leg and ripped it off revealing an artificial leg that Vachon had from losing his real leg in a hit-and-run accident. That's when Diesel took Vachon's prosthetic leg and brought it into the ring to use against Michaels.

Unfortunately for Diesel, the leg was snagged away from him by the Heart Break Kid - who ended up using it to tune up the band and harness super "Mad Dog" powers for a devastating Sweet Chin Music. So devastating in fact that Kevin Nash was never seen in the WWE again until 2002. In a way, one could argue that it was the power of Mad Dog Vachon (and his fake leg) that drove Kevin Nash away all along.

Song of the Day - No Pulse

Disasteradio - No Pulse from Charisma (2010)

How could I have forgotten this wonderfully odd gem?

80's inspired New Zealand synth pop.


This was my jam in 2010.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - Truth & Consequences, Team Pacman

Ron "The Truth" Killings & Rasheed Lucius "Consequences" Creed (w/Pacman Jones) vs. AJ Styles & Tomko - TNA Tag Team titles match - TNA Bound For Glory (2007)

If there's one year of TNA that I actually watched and forgot about, it's 2007. I guess that's why I thought it was mighty odd that people were saying that Consequences Creed, now Xavier Woods, had already teamed up with R-Truth before the debut of Woods on Raw tonight. As it turns out, before Lethal Consequences (Creed's tag team with Jay Lethal that I do remember), Consequences Creed was the guy added to the team of Ron Killings and... yep, you guessed it, Adam "Pacman" Jones of American football shenanigans fame in TNA in 2007. Since Pacman Jones was technically still under contract with the NFL (he just happened to be suspended at this time), Pacman was not actually allowed to wrestle, which doesn't sound that bad except for the important and incredibly inane fact that he was one half of the TNA tag champions. I'm not going to say this was a poor decision by TNA; putting the title on someone who has never wrestled and happened to be the bad boy of football that week is nothing new. Titles with more prestige have been put on worse nobodies, but here Pacman wasn't even aloud to wrestle. That's where Consequences Creed came in, however, and thanks to Pacman in a way, Creed made a big enough impact in this match to be called back and eventually had a pretty solid run in TNA until 2010.

So here's to the silver-lining of Team Pacman in TNA circa 2007. Here's to Xavier Woods hopefully getting to stay on the main roster for good.

I should also point out that Pacman returned to TNA two weeks ago. Maybe WWE saw this and remembered Team Pacman for the first time since 2007 as well, and remembered that they have the better halves.

Song of the Day - Impostor

Sirs - Impostor from Sirs EP (2013)

It has come to my attention that Purchase, New York power poppers, Sirs will be calling it quits soon. The worst part is they just released a really wicked self titled EP that I'll never get to hear live. Or anything of their's for that matter.



Bummertown City, USA.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The Hart brothers take on those guys with the thongs on their tights

Bret and Owen Hart vs. Well Dunn - WWF Wrestling Challenge (1993)

This week I was looking to see if there were any matches that took place on my birthday. This match between the Hart Brothers and Well Dunn (Timothy Well & Steven Dunn) was the closest match I could find that was at least aired around by birthday (dated November 14th). This match was probably one of the first times that Bret and Owen Hart teamed together on WWF television in a build up for the Hart Family vs. Jerry Lawler match at Survivor Series. You know, the Hart/Lawler match at Survivor Series that never happened. You know, that match that turned into the Hart Family vs. Shawn Michaels and a bunch of jobbers dressed as knights.

Anyways, he's a nice little piece of history from the first day of my life.

Song of the Day - 93 'Til Infinity

Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity from 93 'Til Infinity (1993)

Chillin' since 93 'til infinity.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The final Mike Awesome/Masato Tanaka encounter

Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka - ECW One Night Stand (2005)

It's my birthday, so here's one of my favorite matches.

The Mike Awesome/Masato Tanaka match from ECW's One Night Stand show in 2005 is not the two's first outing together. These two had been fighting each other for the sake of fighting since the early/mid 90's from ECW to FMW in Japan with little to no remorse for each others well being. What makes this particular encounter so special is really pretty much random other than the fact that the crowd was red hot for them and the atmosphere that night was incredible. The two just go out to the ring and continue where they left off from their last match like it was still Heat Wave 1998. There's unprotected chair shots, a brutal Awesome bomb from the apron to a slanted table, an almost 300 pound man continually diving to the outside like this was a PWG All-Star Weekend, and, of course, Joey Styles' nonstop bad-mouthing of Mike Awesome on commentary.

This match might be remembered most for Joey Styles "shoot" on Awesome for being a terrible human being business-wise and the line after Awesome completed his first suicide dive to the outside, "...and it's unfortunate he did not succeed in taking his own life"; a foreshadowing of Awesome's demise as he would actually take his life 2 years later. That's not what makes this match special to me, but it is something that always gets brought up.

Regardless of all Joey Styles stuff, this match and the whole Awesome/Tanaka feud is really a sight to see from their days in FMW to this final battle at One Night Stand. These two put on simple yet brutal matches together that required little to no explanation. Destroying each other was just what they did.

Song of the Day - Lebaron

Russian Circles - Lebaron from Memorial (2013)

Post metal demigods, Russian Circles have a new album... It's pretty great, but you already know that.


Right?

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Kid Kash is Chris Jericho's brother?

David Jericho vs. Taka Michinoku - WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (1998)

WWF Light Heavyweight champion, Taka Michinoku takes on a newcomer by the name of David Jericho in a non-title match for the Heat of Saturday Nights, Shotgun Saturday Night. David performed on and off with WWF at house shows and in dark matches until breaking both of his ankles during a match with Too Cool in 1999. After recovering, David, real name David Cash, returned to ECW where he started out and brought with him a new gimmick as a Kid Rock look-a-like. Thus, Kid Kash was born.

 Kid Kash would eventually get a full contract deal with the WWE in 2005, but the David Jericho character did not make a comeback. Apparently WWE already had a "Jericho" on the roster this time and didn't need another one running around.

Song of the Day - BATH SALTS

Future Death - BATH SALTS from FUTURE DEATH (2013)

Reminiscent of a Zach Hill project that never was/never will be. Spastic drums, blazing guitar riffs, and distorted female vocals - oh my!


Also be on the lookout for Future Death's 2nd album due out early next year!

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - The debut of Kassius Ohno

Kassius Ohno vs. Xavier Woods - FCW TV (2012)

Kassius Ohno, better known by some as indy sensation, Chris Hero, was released from his WWE development contract last Friday. I would say this marks the end of KO, but I have a feeling he'll be back and eventually getting his time to shine in WWE, whatever that may mean nowadays. To reflect on his release, here is the debut, rolling elbow and all, of Chris Hero's transformation into "Kassius Ohno" against Xavier Woods in FCW (now NXT).

Match of the Day - Mr. Instant Replay vs. "Slick" Nick - The Green Bucks

"Mr. Instant Replay" Matt Jackson vs. "Slick" Nick Jackson - HPW Heavyweight title tournament first round match - Hybrid Pro Wrestling (2006)

Currently, the brother team of Nick and Matt Jackson AKA The Young Bucks are one of the top indie tag team darlings going today with their constant spots and superkicks. It wasn't too long ago that the brothers were just two kids inspired by The Hardy Boyz and The Rockers to put on exciting matches together. Here's a match between the two brothers from Southern California in their early days before making a name for themselves and touring the world. They are clearly very green here, but they show a lot of potential even without the multiple dives to the outside, flips for the sake of flips, and superkick after superkick.

This Jackson brother's match also features the now-retired Human Tornado providing color commentary.

Theme results

Family Feud: Brother vs. Brother.

Song of the Day - Watered Down

Swearin' - Watered Down from Surfing Strange (2013)

New stuff from Philly indie rock/pop punk band, Swearin'. Swearin' is co-fronted by Allison Crutchfield, the twin sister of Waxahatchee and formerly P.S. Eliot and Bad Banana along with her sister. Allison's doing her own thing now with Swearin' and it sounds great. Here's a track from Surfing Strange entitled, "Watered Down".

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The Hardy Boyz "I Quit" match

Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy - "I Quit" match - Backlash (2009)

This is the Hardy Boyz feud where Matt Hardy hinted that he was responsible for the fire that burned Jeff's home and killed his dog. Why did Matt do it? Jealousy, of course. This feud first started when Matt lost the ECW title to Jack Swagger (remember that?) and later attacked Jeff with a chair, costing his brother the World Heavyweight title. With the Hardy's title-less, it was the perfect time for the two brothers to finally have a big feud for who's the better Hardy Boy... apparently.

The Hardy Boyz "I Quit" match at Backlash was the final chapter of their four part saga. Ironically, this match included the Hardy's working extensively on the leg for the other to experience enough pain to say "I Quit", but in the end when one Hardy came up with the victory, the other walked away with a broken arm.

Theme results

Family Feud: Brother vs. Brother.

Song of the Day - PLEASANCE (WDGAF)

Kool & Kass - PLEASANCE (WDGAF) from PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS (2013)


Kool AD's new project with Kassa Overall. Basically it's about not giving a fuck. So yeah, what's new?

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The Apache sisters caballera vs. caballera match

Mary Apache vs. Faby Apache - Caballera contra Cabellera (Hair vs. Hair match) - Triplemania XVI (2008)

Speaking of AAA and hair vs. hair matches...

Apparently, this brutal sister feud stems from Faby Apache's relationship with Billy Boy and the Apache sisters' trainer and father, Gran Apache's distaste for Billy Boy. Mary Apache, siding with her father on the whole unworthy boyfriend busy with Billy Boy, takes on her sister, Faby Apache with her real life husband, Billy Boy in her corner in this physical hair vs. hair match. Like the Eddie/Chavo match posted previously, this hair vs. hair match does not end as a usual hair vs. hair match should.

Even without knowing the storyline behind this match, it's still a great fight. Check it out.

Theme results

Family Feud: Sister vs. Sister.

Song of the Day - Baby Face

CUSS - Baby Face from Heavenly (2013)


From the Portland Jesus Lizard-like noise rock outfit, CUSS and their new album, Heavenly (out now). Very heavenly indeed.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Eddie Guerrero challenges his nephew to a hair vs. hair match

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. - Hair vs. Hair match - WCW/nWo Bash at the Beach (1998)

Eddie and Chavo had quite the relationship in wrestling to say the least. It seemed whenever they were together they were either winning titles as a well tandem tag team or slugging it out. While Eddie Guerrero was Chavo's uncle, their bond, and rivalry for that matter, was much more like a brotherly one. It probably didn't help either that the two were only 3 years apart in age and had been wrestling each other (in front of wrestling crowds during intermission) since they were kids.

This particular match between the two Guerrero's in WCW is one of their best. In the video above, the match doesn't start until after Chavo Guerrero wrestlers Stevie Ray of the Harlem Heat. It might seem strange that Chavo would have to fight two matches in a row, not to mention a large competitor like Stevie Ray first, but this was all part of Uncle Eddie's plan to wear down his nephew for before the official match. The official match was no ordinary match either, it was a hair vs. hair - a stipulation Eddie was no stranger to as he had been on the losing end of such a gambling match back in AAA with Los Gringos Locos. Who loses? Who get's their head shaved? Take a look and find out!

Theme results

Family Feud: Uncle vs. Nephew.

Theme Week: Family Feud!

It's a new month and that means a new theme week. I really don't have a reason behind this week's theme other than it was something I wanted to look more into. So, here's a weeks worth of matches featuring someone taking on a family member of theirs. it could be sibling rivalry, cousin confrontation, father versus son, nephew versus uncle, you name it. As long as the competitors are really related (not kayfabe) and it is a match in a real promotion, it's eligible.

Enjoy!

Match of the Day - The WCW Halloween Havoc phantom!

The WCW Halloween Havoc Phantom vs. "Z-Man" Tom Zenk - Halloween Havoc (1991)

The masked and mustached WCW Halloween Havoc phantom squashes Tom Zenk before relieving his true identity to the WCW audience in 1991.

Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Match of the Debut - BATTLE KAT!

Battle Kat vs. Bob Bradley - WWF Wrestling Challenge (1990)

I guess you could say that Battle Kat's TV debut against jobber, Bob Bradley was less than purrfect, as Mr. Kat (played by Dean peters) never made if much further than this match and one more on Wrestling Challenge defeating Paul Diamond.

Still, I always wonder what could have been of the almighty Battle Kat.

Fun(ish) fact: Dean Peters previously played Brady Boone, a character that was originally the cousin of Billy Jack Haynes in kayfabe.

Song of the Day - Throats and Tongues Alone

The Body in the Kelp - Throats and Tongues Alone from The Body in the Kelp EP (2013)

I've heard a lot of voice samples, spoken word samples, movies and TV samples, and samples of all sorts in my day (and a lot that I have posted here), but never have I ever heard such a wicked Mainely sample as this one. This song truly speaks to my Maine maritime heart.



The Body in the Kelp are a group made up of musicians who came together for the Portland Space Gallery's 5th annual 48 Music Fest. I couldn't make it out to this year's festival, so I'm not sure who made up this stoner meets doom meets blues band... but if I had, I would have thanked them for this beautiful piece of art.

Christ bub!

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The unmasking of Tiger Mask II!

Tiger Mask II & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu & Samson Fuyuki - AJPW (1990)

I was doing a little research on the Tiger Mask character and I came across this gem of a match. It features Tiger Mask II teaming with Toshiaki Kawada against Kawada's former tag team partner, Samson Fuyuki (AKA Ricky or Kudo Fuyuki) and Yoshiaki Yatsu. During the match, Tiger Mask II responds to Fuyuki and Yatsu's strikes and constant headbutts by firing back a more aggressive arsenal on Yatsu, which is followed by Tiger Mask instructing Kawada to remove his mask. The removal of the tiger mask revealed the of face of Mitsuharu Misawa, who then went full-on assault mode on Yatsu, leading to the two men spilling out onto the floor and almost brawling into the crowd!

While the crowd quickly recognized Misawa, who had been under the tiger mask for almost 6 years, Misawa was not the icon of Japanese wrestling that we think of today. Thanks to this match and the unveiling of the tiger mask however, Misawa would go on to shine as one of the greatest wrestlers in Japan with dozens of championships under his belt, multiply matches of the year, and over twenty legitimate 5 star matches.

As for the Tiger Mask legacy, the rights to the character (based of the character from the Manga series) would be picked up by New Japan Pro Wrestling and given to Koji Kanemoto in 1992.

Song of the Day - Alleys Of Your Minds

Cybotron - Alleys Of Your Mind from Clear (1990)

90's electro.

Like Kraftwerk, but darker.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - AJ Styles' debut, TNA's debut show, and TNA's debut match!

AJ Styles, Jerry Lynn, & Low Ki vs. The Flying Elvises (Jorge Estrada, Sonny Siaki, & Jimmy Yang) - first TNA match on the very first TNA show - NWA: TNA PPV (2002)

While technically this is everyone involved's debut match in TNA, since it was TNA's first match seen on the very first TNA show via Pay Per View, AJ Styles won the TNA world title last night and therefore gets the recognition above as part of new champ Debut Monday tradition.

Anyways, here's the genesis of the X division showing what they got to the Nashville crowd and the NWA legends in the back... and whomever heard about TNA and bought the PPV in 2002.

Over 10 years later and AJ Styles is still the future of the company. At least he's the top face again, for now.

Also, The Flying Elvises, the team of Sonny Siaki, Jorge Estrada, and Jimmy Yang (Later known as Akio or Jimmy Wayne Yang in WWE) are not to confused with the skydiving Elvis look-a-likes who jumped out of the airplane with Nic Cage in Honeymoon in Vegas. Being that early TNA had a lot of leftover WCW talent that didn't get picked up by Vinnie Mac, it's no surprise that they would have a Nic Cage gimmick on their program!

Song of the Day - Awkward

FIDLAR - Awkward from Awkward (single) (2013)

New single from beer punkers, FIDLAR (an acronym for Fuck It Dog Life's A Risk). Along with this song being a single, it's also from a split with The Orwells of which they are on a tour with or something.

There's also this version of the song featuring Kate Nash.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The no DQ loser leaves town for 30 days coal miner's glove tuxedo steel cage match!

Speaking of stipulations inside a steel cage match...

Ted DiBiase vs. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan - No DQ Loser Leaves Town Coal Miner's Glove Tuxedo Steel Cage match - Mid-South Wrestling (1985)

Say what you want about this ridiculous sounding match starring a crazed Jim Duggan and a beardless Ted DiBiase in tuxedos, it definitely made sense at the time. At least, that's what I have heard...

The object of the match was pretty simple really, get locked in a cage with your tux on and if you could retrieve the coal miner's glove (a big glove loaded with a bar of metal on the knuckles) you could use it as much as you wanted without being DQ'd or the match stopping. Once there was a definitive winner, the loser had to leave with their tail tucked between their legs and stay away for 30 days. There was also no time limit.

Got it?

Song of the Day - Pro Wrestling

Billy Woods - Pro Wrestling from Dour Candy (2013)

Wrestling inspired hip-hop.

Can never have too many wrestling-referenced songs in here.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Raven and Jeff Hardy have a tables match inside a steel cage

Raven vs. Jeff Hardy - Tables match in the six sides of steel - TNA Lockdown (2005)

It's actually not as bad as it sounds, I promise.

Song of the Day - Twisted Nerve

Bernard Herrmann - Twisted Nerve from Twisted Nerve original score (1968) or Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack (2003)

Every once and a while I'll be walking to class and a man behind me will be whistling this song. I wonder if he picked it up from watching Twisted Nerve, or from Kill Bill Vol. 1, or maybe more recently, from American Horror Stories...

I sure hope this guy's not out to kill me. That would really suck.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - FMW takes a whack at WarGames: the match beyond!

Hayabusa, Jinsei Shinzaki, & Masato Tanaka vs. Mr. Gannosuke, Yukihiro Kanemura, & Atsushi Onita - barbed wire baseball bat ladder WarGames deathmatch - FMW Super Extreme Wrestling War (1997)

Part 1:

Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling decided to take the concept of WarGames from NWA/WCW and replace the two ring element of the match with hardcore weapons like ladders, barbed wire, steel chairs, and handcuffs. The one thing that makes this match a WarGames-type match like the ones seen on the Great American Bash tour of 1987 with the Horsemen and Road Warriors, other than it being held in a caged structure, is the "staggered entry" format. Two men start in the cage and after a certain amount of time, another member from either team gets to enter the cage... but once this match got underway, that was also thrown out as all hell broke loose.

Part 2:

Yes, the match was one big cluster of violence, but really, that's what WarGames was all about; you got to see your favorite team (the good guys) take on the rival team (the bad guys) with little to no rules or restrictions. Granted this particular "WarGames" match didn't have the double ring set up that the original was known for, it still had the best wrestlers from FMW destroying one another inside one cage!

Song of the Day - Song for a Netflix account

Pat "the bunny" Schneeweis - Song for a Netflix account from The Mark Inside (2013)

Legendary anarcho folk punker and leader of Ramshackle Glory laying down some sick tracks about hope and other touchy subjects.



"...if we aren't dead yet, then let's not live as ghosts."

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Strongbow/Kent shark cage match!

Chief Jay Strongbow vs. "Bulldog" Don Kent - shark cage match - Big Time Wrestling (1977)

The exact opposite of a Hell in a Cell match. This match is simple, two men go in a shark cage and try to fight their way out. No pinfalls, no submission, no sharks; just two guys in a really small cage.

This match here includes the legendary Chief Jay Strongbow and "Bulldog" Don Kent of The Fabulous Kangaroos fame in the Detroit promotion, Big Time Wrestling. It also features a run in by the US champion at the time, Mark Lewin.

I'm not certain about the year on this match but I know it's from the 70's.

Song of the Day - D4: What the Puck? (Like if They Made Another Mighty Ducks Movie Except This Time They're Pissed)

Two Knights - D4: What the Puck? (Like if They Made Another Mighty Ducks Movie Except This Time They're Pissed) from A lot of Bad Things Have Happened, but We're Still Here (2013)

Probably the coolest song title you will see this year.



Two Knights are just two dudes noodling on instruments that they just got good at using.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - The first Hell in a Cell and... that's gotta be Kane!

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - first Hell in a Cell match - WWF Bad Blood: In Your House (1997)

The match that started it all: the very first "Hell in a Cell" match. The main differences between a Hell in a Cell match and a regular WWF/E cage match is that the cage is wider with room for the wrestlers to go outside the ring, there's a roof on the cage, and you can't win via escaping the structure.

While this match between the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels marked the first Hell in a Cell match, the match is probably remembered more for its ending. The ending goes like this: Just as Undertaker is about to finish off a bloodied Michaels after blasting him over the head with a blue steel chair, the lights got and from the darkness appears Paul Bearer, Taker's former manager, following a large figure clad in black and red from head to toe. After weeks of Bearer mentioning that Taker has a long lost brother, it is finally confirmed that he is still alive and looking for his brother. As the large individual walks to the cell, Vince McMahon from his headphones reveals, "that's gotta be... that's gotta be Kane!" before ripping the cage door right off its hinges. The two brothers of similar height then square off in the middle of the ring until Kane makes his move and takes out Taker using the Phenom's own tombstone piledriver and forever cementing his legacy as the Big Red Machine!

This match also features a fair amount of brawling outside the ring and on top of the cell, Michaels abusing cameramen, and a bump off the cage that will forever be overshadowed by the legendary bump that Mankind takes in the next Hell in a Cell match.

Theme of the Week - Cage Matches

In honor of Hell in a Cell this month and Battleground not having a Wargames type match like rumors had hinted at a few months back, this weeks theme will be all about cages.

Any type of match featuring a cage of some sort is fair game... even that one in Spider-man.

Enjoy!

Match of the Day - The barbed wire kickpad incident

Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Katsumi Usuda - BJW vs. Battlearts (1998)

When Battlearts own, Katsumi Usuda took on Big Japan Pro Wrestling deathmatcher, Ryuji Yamakawa in a special BJW versus Battlearts event, Usuda decided to get a little hardcore himself. Part way through the match, Yamakawa grabs some loose barbed wire from under the ring and throws it into the squared circle. Before Yamakawa has a chance to do any damage to Usuda with it, however, Usuda takes the barbed wire and wraps the wiry mess around his kickpad. Usuda then proceeds to kick the living shit out of Yamakawa with it until his opponent is heavily scarred up.

Check it out!

Song of the Day - The Last Wiltz

Wiltz - The Last Wiltz from Sea Dog (2013)

Recently broken up instrumental math rock from Ireland.


RIP

Last.fm

Match of the Day - WWE's first women's steel cage match!

Lita vs. Victoria - steel cage match - Raw Roulette (2003)

In a surprising turn of events AKA the spinning of the Raw Roulette wheel, the returning (from neck injury) Lita took on her scheduled opponent, the deranged Victoria, in Raw's (and WWE's for that matter) first ever women's steel cage match to kick off the very first Raw Roulette episode in 2003; and it's really not that bad.

Victoria returned to the cage in 2010 when she took on Mickie James for Impact Wrestling as Tara.

Song of the Day - La Resolve

Jel - La Resolve from Late Pass (2013)

Anticon co-founder and mad beat maker, Jel was playing in my hood tonight. I couldn't make it out to see him but maybe you did.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - Epico debuto

Epico vs. Sin Cara - Friday Night Smackdown! (2011)

I'm really curious where Epico went. These new Los Matadores characters could give the Puerto Rican team of Epico and Primo a serious run for their money.

Anyways, here's Epico's 2011 debut against the one and only, Sin Cara.

Song of the Day - Murmurer

Why? - Murmurer from Golden Ticket (2013)

Indie hoppers, Why? have a new EP out that they made exclusively for their biggest fans. Everyone can listen to it, of course, but if you are really their biggest fan then you just might have a song written about you! Yep, this EP is about their biggest fans. Literally.

Why? did some creeping around on the interwebs and found this one fan in particular who happens to call himself "Murmurer" on OKCupid.

I guess it's okay I didn't make the cut.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Don't ever fuck with Kishin Liger!

Kishin Liger vs. Bad Boy Hido - NJPW (2006)

Kishin Liger is the much darker and sadistic side of Jushin "Thunder" Liger. One could also argue that he is the KISS version of Jushin Liger, but don't let that fool you, this is not the Liger who wants to party all night. No, this is the Liger you definitely do not want to be crossing paths with. First appearing after The Great Muta ripped off his mask in 1996, The "Kishin" character only makes rare appearances when it is most fitting for revenge - such as this match featuring Bad Boy Hido ten years later. Hido, an ultraviolent specialist, thought it would be a wise move to chop some of Liger's hair off...

Let's just say Hido got what he had coming to him.

Song of the Day - Secret Breasts

So Stressed - Secret Breasts from Attracted To Open Mouths (2012)



Noise rock meets emo punk. Super wild stuff from Sacramento, Cali.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - The man, the myth, The Machine.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Machine - WCW Thunder (2000)

In 2000, WCW debuted one of their least remembered one-hit wonders in the form of a big masked strongman named, The Machine. Apparently, this masked man was brought in as the next big thing by Jimmy Hart... but after one match against the veteran, pre-yoga DDP, he disappeared without a trace.

The man behind the mask was the late Emory Hail, who exactly had a few jobber matches previously in WCW. As for the "Machine" gimmick, Wikipedia says that the mask he wore was apparently inspired by a mask worn by a sadist character in the snuff film mystery flick starring Nicolas Cage, 8MM. Yep, you read that right: a wrestler was based off a Nic Cage film!

Now that's something.

Match of the Debut - Bryan Danielson becomes Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan vs. The World Heavyweight champion Chris Jericho - NXT debut show (2010)

In good fashion like the other Mondays following a new champion crowning, here is Daniel Bryan's debut match in WWE.

Despite Bryan being no stranger to the WWE ring as seen just last month in the callback to the Danielson/Cena match on Velocity in 2003, this was Bryan's first match on WWE not only after becoming an indie sensation but also as "Daniel Bryan", the NXT contestant and rookie. He wouldn't be a rookie very long though, that's for sure.

This match was also the first main event on the very first NXT episode. Double debut.

Also, check out that bump Bryan takes on the side of the announce table after Jericho "catches" him in mid-air after the suicide dive.

Song of the Day - Washy

Nai Harvest - Washy from Whatever (2013)


Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen.

Twin Peaks.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - The Ramon/Michaels intercontinental title ladder rematch

Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels - Intercontinental title ladder match - Summerslam (1995)

Since today is Night of Champions (an "all WWE titles on the line" themed PPV) and the IC title will not be on the line, I've decided to post a match where it is. I'm not gonna complain about how the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship is lost today and the man holding the title right now - who happens to be the son of one of the greatest IC champion of all time - is on the card and not even defending it. I'm just gonna watch this match instead.

Along with this match being for the IC title, it was also a ladder match. And while ladder matches were still relatively new in the WWF, this was already Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels' second ladder match together. These two had climbed for the title earlier that year at Wrestlemania X. Compared to a lot of ladder matches we've seen over the years, this one may seem pretty tame - especially since the high spot was an addition of another ladder - but this match is really what set the bar for those ladder matches to come. It also set the trend for ladder matches at Summerslam. Look it up: there's a lot.

Say what you want about the two men in the ring, they worked amazingly together and were looking to steal the show. Granted, stealing the show from Diesel and Mabel doesn't sound too hard, they still stole it nevertheless.

Editor's note: There was an IC title match after all. It was added last minute to kill time and gave Kofi Kingston something to do since he was on the poster.

Match of the Day - The man with 1000 holds vs. The World Class Olympic bobsledder

Dean Malenko vs. Chip Minton - WCW Worldwide (1996)

Dean Malenko takes on the "downhill scooter runner" Chip Minton in a Saturday morning squash.

Highlights of this short match include Bobby "The Brain" Heenan commentary and the solid ring work of Malenko.

Minton would later place fifth in the four-man bobsled race at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan and return to WCW much larger than before. Guess he was really ready to jerk the curtain some more.

Match of the Day - The one where Tajiri blinds Nidia with his mist

Jamie Noble vs. Tajiri - Smackdown! (2003)

As the title suggests, this is the match where Tajiri, the current Cruiserweight champ at the time, took on Jamie Noble in singles competition with his girlfriend and Tough Enough 1 winner, Nidia by his side. During the match, Tajiri looks to use his Cruiserweight title as a weapon on Noble, but as Nidia tries to intervene by grabbing the title away from Tajiri, Tajiri sprays her in the face with his Asian mist. According to legend,  the black mist, which was the mist used on Nidia in this sequence, is said to blind the recipient for weeks.

Eventually, Nidia would get her sight back, but would milk the incident for well over the time she could see again.

Song of the Day - September

I Am the World Trade Center - September from Out of the Loop (2001)

Track number 11.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Good 'ol JR takes on SIR Michael Cole

Jim Ross vs. "Sir" Michael Cole - Raw (2011)

It was announced today that after 20 years in the biz, good 'ol JR is leaving the WWE.

Rumor has it that his departure by have something to do with the drunken WWE 2K14 press conference fiasco last month or so. Maybe this will lead to one last Jim Ross embarrassing beatdown/mockery. Man, I sure hope not. Twenty years is long enough.

Seriuosly though, JR will be missed.

Song of the Day - JTCGTHLH

Langosta - JTCGTHLH from Super Nature EP (2013)

Good mathy goodness.


Better than any math homework ever.

Last.fm

Match of the Debut - Forgotten 90's tag team number 101: The Blackhearts

The Blackhearts vs. Dave Hart & Mike Winner - WCW Saturday Night (1993)

The Blackhearts were a mysterious team to say the least. You may notice that these guys look a lot like another forgettable character that only appeared maybe once or twice in the 90's - The Black Phantom. If you did notice this, I'm really impressed and as it turns out, you would be correct - at least with one of them. See, The Blackhearts were a team made up of Tom Nash and David Heath AKA The Black Phantom AKA Gangrel. I have no idea who's who, but apparently Heath was called Apocalypse and Nash was Destruction. Of course, Jesse Ventura had no idea what their names were here during their debut on WCW television, so they were just referred to as Blackheart #1 and #2.

As legend has it, The Blackhearts, who started in Stampede Wrestling, were the bastard sons of Stu Hart. As for the screeching and weird hand gestures they would do, well, that's all apart of the mystery that was The Blackhearts.

Enjoy.

Match of the Day - The Legion of Doom return for the last time

Speaking of Warrior returns...

Rob Van Dam & Kane vs. The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) - World Tag Team titles match - Raw (2003)

Eric Bischoff decides to "raise the bar" on Raw in 2003 by bringing in one of the greatest tag teams of all time - The Road Warriors (referred to as the Legion of Doom in WWF/E) - to face the tag champs at the time, RVD and Kane for one night only.

Unfortunately, this match would not only be LOD's last return match to WWE, but also Hawk and Animal's last Televised match as a team. Hawk passed away after years of battle with his personal demons and alcohol addiction a few months later.

But yes, they did looked a lot better than that last Ultimate Warrior return we just saw.

Song of the Day - Meet Me Here At Dawn

Cass McCombs - Meet Me Here At Dawn from A (2004)

Cass McCombs is playing a show at The Oak + The Ax tomorrow in Biddeford, Maine. 

I don't know much about him other this song which has been covered by Andrew Bird and my late friend, Martin Smith.

Therefore it's very near and dear to my heart. 

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Ultimate Warrior's not so ultimate return... again.

The Ultimate Warrior vs. Orlando Jordan - NWE Heavyweight title match - Nu-Wrestling Evolution (2008)

More like the Ultimate Wind.

I mentioned a couple of days ago how good the legends who returned to the WWE to promote the 1000th episode with Heath Slater surprisingly looked. Well, compared to most "legends" of wrestling returning to the ring, there really is a point in time where it's best to just let your character go and never be seen again. The perfect example of this would be the one and only, Warrior. As you may or may not know, the man behind the Ultimate Warrior, Jim Hellwig, legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993. Wait what? He changed his name to the Warrior... not the Ultimate Warrior, but just 'Warrior'. He also had kids and they now have the surname of Warrior which is a whole other can of worms we don't need to get into.

Along with taking the name Warrior, Hellwig also took the attire, the face-paint, and the crazy Warrior ramblings and basically molded his life around his wrestling persona. The only thing I really see that's wrong with that is he left the wrestling part out. After Warrior's success in the early 90's of being the next Hogan, he just sort of disappeared. When he returned the first time it was clear that he had lost the energy he possessed in his first big run. He still had this "Ultimate Warrior" look to him, but he was not the same Warrior that we say dethrone Hogan and prophesied to his little warrior followers. And then he disappeared again... and again.

Eventually Warrior was completely gone for wrestling. That was, until 2008 when an Italian wrestling promotion had enough money to pay for the Ultimate Warrior to once again reappear. So, Warrior suited up and went to battle. This time however, it wasn't against the likes of Randy Savage, Triple H, or Hulk Hogan, but rather, a young sport named Orlando Jordan (remember him?) who happened to be Nu-Wrestling Evolution's heavyweight champion at the time. It also wasn't the 90's anymore.

The match is pretty ehhh. I'd rather not go into to detail on the whole thing as I've already written too much on the matter, but really it can only be described as a man who is a shell of himself trying to have a 15-20 minute match after not wrestling for 10 whole years. That being said, it's really not too fun to watch and I don't blame you if you can't get past Warrior trying to run his way to the ring like his legs remembered how bad his last match was. It was almost like his legs were trying to cripple him from ever getting back in that ring with every awkward stride.

... and then he won.

Theme Results

Returner: Warrior after 10 years.

Song of the Day - Jesus in the Courtyard

King Dude - Jesus in the Courtyard from Burning Daylight (2012)

King Dude is the solo project of TJ Cowgill from the black metal bands Teen Cthulhu and Book of Black Earth. His sound is very reminiscent of neofolk acts of the 80's or a black metal Leonard Cohen of sorts.

Very interesting stuff.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Stone Cold seeks revenge on the man who ran him over!

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Rikishi - No Holds Bared match - WWF No Mercy (2000)

Almost a year went by where the WWF fans (now known as the WWE Universe, of course) did not see Stone Cold Steve Austin from late 1999 to 2000. The reason for this, in reality, was that Stone Cold's neck injury he had sustained from a botched piledriver in 1997 (which ultimately shortened his career) had worsened,  forcing Austin to take some time off to recover. So how did the WWF write off the Texas Rattlesnake from television? Simple. They ran him over with a car.

But who done it? Well, that was a little more complex. As a full time watcher of all things WWF around this time, I was glued to the TV every week waiting to find out just who ran Stone Cold over. And while I had my suspensions (Triple H), I had no idea that the driver of the black car that hit Stone Cold in the parking lot at Survivor Series would be... Rikishi?

Rikishi admitted to taking out Austin almost a year later on Raw after his match that night. But why Rikishi why? Thus, the Rikishi meme was born... 'Kishi admits that "he did it for the Rock" and for all the Samoans who had been held down since the Rock's grandfather was in the business. Rikishi then admitted that, if he had the chance, he would easily run Austin over again!

In Stone Cold's first match to the ring in almost a year, he got his chance at revenge on the man who ran him down.. in a no holds barred, anything goes match at No Mercy in 2000. The match gets so heated that Stone Cold shoves Rikishi in the back on his beat-up pick up and drives him outside where he leaves the 400 pound man in a bloody mess laying on the side of the building. In the final eye for an eye confrontation, it looks like Stone Cold will run his truck into the lifeless Rikishi. But as he revs up the Stone Cold mobile, he instead runs into a police car! The match ends there with Stone Cold getting arrested and put in a police car.

Vintage Austin.

Theme Results

Returner: Stone Cold Steve Austin to get his revenge after being put on the shelf for almost a year via attempted vehicular manslaughter.